Word of the Day
by boysmom5
Summary: Randomly and incongruently published series of one-shots, each inspired by the word of the day at thesaurus dot com. Mostly K to K-plus, but I will rate it T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I have had a bad bout of insomnia this week (no work due to sick kids, and finding out dh is getting laid off in April) and came up with this crazy idea to write a SMK fanfic using the word of the day on . Yeah, insomnia's crazy like that. I chose SMK over any other stories because, for some reason, SMK always cheers me up, and Lord knows I can use some of that. :D**

**I apologize for the roughness of the grammar, etc. I wrote it all with my thumbs on Evernote and at 3am. :) I did attempt some editing so hopefully it's not too bad.**

**Oh, this particular story takes place toward the end of the first season. You can place it where you think it fits best.**

_chirk: to cheer (usually followed by up)_

Lee Stetson lay in his bed wondering if calling in sick had been such a good idea after all. It wasn't that he wasn't sick, he was terribly sick, it was just that he should have suspected the result would have been his irksome partner showing up to "take care of him"

Partner? Wait. Not partner. Billy's _idea_ of a partner.

Sighing, Lee burrowed down into the blankets as another round of chills caused him to feel like he was fighting hypothermia, not the flu. He tried to shut out the muted sounds just outside his bedroom door. Amanda was no doubt cleaning while she waited for the homemade chicken broth she'd brought to heat up on the stove. She'd also brought some aspirin, a heating pad, Vicks, a thermometer, and Epsom salts, "just in case. You never know what you might need when you're sick and I really didn't know what you had on hand and you just lay here now and I'll start the broth to heating and maybe pick up a little bit."

The last part of her run-on sentence she said quietly and as she shut the door behind her. Lee groaned. He just wanted to be left to his agony in silence.

After a while he heard the door to the bedroom open and Amanda walk into the room. She came up to the bed but Lee didn't open his eyes. Shortly he felt her lay her cool hand on his heard forehead. She gave a barely audible gasp and he heard her whisper something about hoping the aspirin would have helped with the fever, the he heard her walk into his bathroom. He waited for her usual admonition about how dirty the room was but she was silent. He heard the water run a while in he sink, then Amanda came back out. Next he felt a cool cloth on his forehead. She daubed his face with it, then his ears and neck.

At her ministrations Lee felt himself relax and he finally drifted into a fitful sleep.

A while later he awoke, the sounds of the street below in his ears. He opened his eyes and found the shutters and curtains drawn but the window open. He looked around his room and saw Amanda had been busy in here as well. He wanted to groan, but the prospect of uttering any sound was daunting. He lay his head back on his pillow and closed his eyes, hoping to get back to sleep. It was quiet except the street noises and he wondered if Amanda had left. He then immediately wondered why that idea bothered him.

He drifted off with an admonition to himself to stop thinking positive thoughts about his partner. _Not_ partner, he reminded himself.

Lee woke with a start. He felt as if he was being smothered. Too many blankets, his mind told him, and he kicked the bedding off dutifully. As he lay a top his bed, wondering if he should remove his pajamas to help cool himself down, the door opened to reveal Amanda again.

She walked quietly toward him, her concern evident on her face. She sat down in a chair by the bed. He wasn't sure when she'd moved it there but was thankful she hadn't sat on the bed. Any movement on his part would have resulted in great pain, he was certain. She picked up the thermometer she'd brought, shook it, and held it toward him silently. He opened his mouth without arguing, because that would have brought pain as well, and let her tuck the glass rod under his tongue. She glanced at her watch, then back at him. The look in her eyes forced Lee to turn away. Had anyone ever shown that type of concern for him? He tried to tamp down the feelings the question evoked.

Amanda said nothing as she waited for the thermometer reading and Lee was grateful. The pain right then was so intense he was certain any more sound would cause his eardrums to burst. He couldn't remember the last time he was so sick.

Finally, he felt Amanda pull at the thermometer and he gave it up to her. She looked at the reading and her look of concern deepened. Pursing her lips, she went into the bathroom where Lee heard her fill a glass with water from the sink and shake out more aspirin from the bottle.

Returning, she set the items on his surprisingly clean side table, then she reached to him and helped him sit up so he could swallow the pills. Her touch was expertly gentle and Lee found himself slightly envious of her sons who must receive this sort of treatment regularly. He attempted to take hold of the aspirin she handed to him but his hand shook so wildly he would have dropped them. He was embarrassed at his weakness but Amanda simply mimed for him to open his mouth then she put the pills on his tongue and held the glass of water to his lips and helped him swallow the medicine down. After she helped him to lie down again, she pulled only the sheet up on him, whispering something about getting a chill; which Lee wanted to tell her he'd prefer to the painful heat he was feeling then, but that would have required more exertion than he could handle after the act of taking the medicine.

He heard her return to the bathroom, then, again, felt the cool cloth on his face and neck. He was almost glad for the fever in his body as he was sure it covered the blush at his humiliation at being so weak in front of her. Slowly he drifted back to sleep.

When he woke again, his body didn't ache quite as much. The sounds of the street were muffled, Amanda had obviously closed the window as the evening wore on. He opened his eyes and found his bedside lamp turned on and Amanda sitting in the chair she'd brought in earlier. A book lay open in her lap, her head lolled as her chin rested on her chest, a slight snore coming from her.

Lee's throat was parched but he was loathe to wake her. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was after 9 pm. He couldn't remember what time she'd arrived but knew it couldn't have been much after lunchtime. Sighing at her tenacity and care, he made to rise and get himself some water.

He was surprised when his movement woke her with a start.

"Lee," she whispered hoarsely, then cleared her throat.

"What do you need?" she asked, and Lee fought against the unusual feeling the question evoked. He smiled at her kindness. But shook his head.

"I'm just thirsty," he told her. " And, um, I kinda have to use the little boys' room."

He was surprised when she didn't blush but simply stood and came over to help him out of the bed. He wanted to protest when she walked beside him and held onto to his arm, while he held onto the wall with the other, but truth was, he was enjoying this.

When he reopened the door, he saw Amanda jump up from the chair again to help him back to bed.

When he was comfortable again she asked quietly, "Do you think you could eat something now? I brought some chicken broth."

He nodded and she quickly disappeared through the door. He could hear her ladling the broth into a bowl and for the first time ever he felt guilty knowing she'd probably had to clean all the dishes. The thought that he should get a dishwasher flashed briefly through his mind right before she came back into the room with a tray he knew she must have also brought from home. She placed it before him and the scent of the broth wafted to his nose. It was the first time all day that food had sounded good.

"Now, take it slow," she admonished. "You haven't had anything to eat all day and your stomach is liable to react poorly."

She spoke as if she were speaking to one of her sons, and while that would normally have irked Lee, at this moment he found it soothing.

He ate a few spoonfuls but had to stop.

She stood to remove his tray and he took her hand in his.

"Amanda," he said, trying to ignore the sensation the contact made. "Thank you for all your help today, but you should go home to your family."

A look of doubt passed across her face and Lee smiled.

"I think I'll be OK now," he assured her.

She pursed her lips and looked as if she was having an internal battle over which she should choose. Had anyone else he'd ever known found choosing between caring for him and their own family a difficult decision?

"Well, alright," she said, doubtfully. "If you're sure you don't need me."

Lee's voice stuck in his throat. He suddenly didn't know how to respond.

Finally he decided just to say, "I'll really be fine."

She lifted the tray and started the first ramble he'd heard from her since she'd first arrived.

"Alright, if you say so, I'll just clean these dishes up and set a few things to rights."

"Amanda," he interrupted before she walked out the door. "I can take care of that later."

She turned to him and quirked an eyebrow while giving him a knowing smirk.

"Right, Scarecrow," she retorted sarcastically, and Lee couldn't help but laugh quietly as he lay back down and she returned to the kitchen.

After barely any time Amanda returned. In her hands were a pitcher full of water and an empty glass. She set them on his bedside table. Then she went into the bathroom and brought out the bottle of aspirin and set that next to the pitcher. Lee watched her as she moved about. He never thought her constant motion could make him feel anything but dizzy but today it was a comfort.

Turning to him she admonished, "Now you call me if you need anything at all."

Lee smiled and took her hand again.

"I will," he assured. "And again, thank you."

"Of course," she smiled, then leaned over and ran her fingers through his hair and ruffled it. It was something he'd seen her do dozens of times to her boys and her affection touched him more deeply than he wanted to admit.

After she left, Lee settled in to sleep, an unusual feeling of contentment washing over him. He didn't want to think about why but he didn't argue with himself over it as he usually did.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: The following story is rated T for kissing and marriage talk.**

**Set maybe about a year post-series. Marriage is known to all.**

**Brief reference made to S2EP14, A Little Sex, a Little Scandal.**

_august: venerable; inspiring reverence or admiration; etc_

"Mom," Lee heard Philip's voice calling from the stairwell as the teen came down from his bedroom. "Do we know anyone born in August?"

Entering the kitchen, he reached for an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie his mother had just slid onto the cooling rack.

Lee watched with barely veiled amusement from his position at the kitchen table as Philip's face contorted in a variety of ways in reaction to the heat of the fresh-from-the-oven cookie. Despite his antics, Philip didn't complain as he ate it down to the last crumb.

"Why do you need to know someone born in August?" Amanda asked as she spooned more cookie dough onto the baking sheet.

"Our writing assignment in English is to interview and write an essay about an August person," Philip replied as he poured himself a glass of milk to wash down the hot cookie.

Amanda paused a moment to stare at Philip and Lee hid a laugh behind the paper he was reading. Philip was not a stupid person, but he had about as much interest in school as Lee had back in the day.

"Can I see the assignment?" Amanda asked.

"Sure," Philip said, setting down his glass and reaching into his pocket.

Lee watched covertly as Philip pulled out a crumpled piece of notebook paper and attempted to flatten it out on the counter before handing it to Amanda. Lee couldn't see his wife's face but he was certain she was doing a better job keeping the amusement off of it than Lee.

Amanda read the paper and asked, "Are you sure the teacher said '_Aug_ust?'"

Philip shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess," he said.

Jamie chose this moment to chip in his two cents from the position he'd held on the den couch throughout the conversation.

"Bird brain was probably too busy flirting with Connie Johnson to even hear what the teacher said."

"Was not!" Philip retorted loudly.

"Jamie," Amanda said, slightly annoyed. "Don't call your brother 'bird brain.'"

Turning to Philip she asked, "Is it possible you were _distracted_ while the teacher was giving the assignment?"

The boy shrugged again.

"I s'pose. But," he added hastily. "I asked Peter Watson after class what the assignment was and that's what he told me."

Jamie piped in again.

"Dude, you really are clueless."

Lee watched as Philip's face started to turn red.

"Yeah?" he challenged. "What would you know about it?"

"I heard Watson telling his brother that he wanted to ask Connie to the next dance."

"What?!" Philip reacted. "That dirty, double-crossing."

"Philip," Amanda interrupted firmly. Then in a more gentle voice suggested Philip call a friend he could trust for the actual assignment.

Philip smiled a huge smile at that idea and bolted from the room to the phone in the upstairs hallway, Lee assumed.

"Not smart, Mom," Jamie informed her as he walked into the kitchen to grab up a now cooler cookie for himself. "Now he's gonna be on the phone with Connie Johnson for the rest of the afternoon."

After Jamie left the room and Lee was certain the boy was far enough away, he put down the paper and let out all the pent up laughter from the past few minutes.

Amanda turned and gave him a questioning look, but Lee just shook his head at her. He stood and walked over to the counter where she had just finished refilling the baking sheets. Grabbing one of the gobs of dough, he ducted away quickly from her playful swat.

He leaned against the sink to watch her replace the dough he was munching and then put the two pans into the oven.

"You know," he said between mouthfuls. "If I'd have known the free entertainment that came with fatherhood, I'd have married you a lot sooner."

He gave her a wink as she turned and rolled her eyes at him.

She walked up to him and attempted to pass in order to wash the cookie dough off her fingers, but Lee kept her blocked.

"Lee," she admonished. "I need to wash my hands. They're covered in cookie dough."

He wiggled his eyebrows at her and grabbed up her hands.

"I know," he said seductively and brought one of her hands to his mouth to "clean" the dough off.

He smiled at her as he watched her eyes grow dark. The chuckled as she came back to her senses.

"Lee," she whispered harshly. "It's the middle of the afternoon and the boys are here and mother will be back soon and."

He cut her off as he captured her lips in a gentle, but full of promise, kiss.

When he pulled away, he leaned his forehead to hers. Yeah, he definitely should have married her sooner. Right now he wished he'd been ready when he first met her.

"Au_gust_," he said aloud with a light laugh. "He needs to write about an au_gust_ person."

Amanda nodded and pulled away from him. He let her pass to the sink to wash her hands while he walked over to the counter where she'd been preparing the cookies. He started to wipe down the small bits of dough off the counter and handed her the bowl which she placed under the hot running water and squeezed a bit of dish soap into it.

"He could write about you," he said and smiled at her. "You're pretty 'august.' I, for one, have long admired you."

"Thank you," she replied. "But he already did that once."

Lee raised an eyebrow in question.

"Mother of the Year," she said. "Remember?"

Lee nodded.

"How could I forget," Lee said. "You know, flowers still make Billy slightly ill."

They laughed together at the memory, though at the time they'd both been downright terrified.

"The judges were idiots," he scowled.

Amanda laughed and turned to wash the bowl and spoons.

"He could write about you, too," she said.

Lee walked over, wrapped his hands around her waist as he pressed against her back and began to place kisses from her ear down her neck and then reached up to pull her collar back and trail them onto her shoulder.

"Yeah," his voice rumbled softly and he smiled at the shudder it caused in Amanda. "But he doesn't really know anything about my august actions."

Amanda gasped and turned in his arms.

"I'm not talking about that," she whispered loudly and blushed.

Lee held back the laugh at the reaction he'd known his actions and words combined would bring. He loved how he could still make her blush.

"Why, Mrs. Stetson," he said with mock surprise. "You need to get your mind out of the gutter. I was merely referring to my work at the Agency."

She smirked at him just as they heard the front door swing open. Jumping quickly away from each other, they laughed at their reaction as Dotty walked in babbling a mile a minute about the happenings at today's garden club meeting.

She finally noticed the mirth and stopped to stare at the two of them.

"Did I miss something?" she asked.

They both shook their heads as Philip returned to the room.

"Grandma," he said in what Lee referred to as his 'salesman pitch' voice.

Dotty gave Philip a knowing look

"What do you want?"

"Nothing," he replied. "I just need to interview you and write an essay for my English class."

"Oh," Dotty said. "That sounds fine. When?"

Philip hesitated.

"Well, um, right now," he told her.

"This second?" his grandmother asked, with not a little suspicion.

"Yeah, see, it's kinda due in the morning," he informed her sheepishly.

The three adults in the room let out a collective sigh of exasperation.

"And I suppose it has to be typed," Dotty deadpanned.

Philip nodded and Dotty shook her head and threw up her hands.

"Fine, fine," Dotty said as she ushered him upstairs. "The typewriter is in my room."

After they were left alone again, Lee turned and saw Amanda shaking her head.

"It's gonna be a miracle if that boy graduates," she grimaced.

"He'll be fine," Lee assured her. "I was exactly the same and I turned out OK, didn't I?"

Amanda opened her mouth to retort but seemed to think better of it and turned to rinse the bowl and spoons and set them in the drain to dry.

Lee sensed something was off and he grabbed her hands back up after she finished drying them.

"You know," he said as he rubbed the backs of her hands with his thumbs. "Sometimes I forget all that time before us. I'm sure Philip won't go through the worst of it."

She looked up at him in surprise and confusion.

"What?" She asked.

"You were worried Philip might end up like I was before we met," he told her.

"You're a lousy mind reader, Scarecrow," she admonished as she encircled him in an embrace and leaned her head against his chest.

"Don't quit your day job," she added and he laughed.

"So everything's OK?" he asked.

She tilted her head back to look up at him and smiled.

"Everything's more than OK," she said.

The timer went off for the last of the cookies and Lee helped Amanda set them out too cool.

As she set the hot baking sheets on the stove to cool she turned and gave Lee one of his favorite looks.

Smiling, she cocked an eyebrow at him seductively and said, "I could really use a shower."

"I totally understand. I could," Lee started just as Jamie walked back into the room.

"Could what?" Jamie asked when he noticed Lee had stopped what he was saying.

"I could use a nap," Lee said, and pretended to stifle a yawn. "It's been a long week."

"Oh, don't do that," Amanda said as she started to yawn.

Lee took her hand and encouraged her to follow him up the stairs.

Once they were behind the closed and locked door of their bedroom, Lee took Amanda into a passionate embrace.

When they came up for air Amanda asked, "Do think that's such a good idea?"

"Yes," he gasped, and trailed encouraging kisses down her neck.

"Not this," she chuckled. "Leaving Jamie all alone in a kitchen full of fresh cookies."

Lee looked at her and laughed. Then he held her warmly.

"Yeah, I definitely should have married you years ago," he said, knowing he'd never known at all what real happiness was before he met Amanda.

She pulled back and took his hand, leading him to the shower.

"You could always make up for lost time," she said.

He stopped her short of the bathroom door and touched her face.

"I love you," he said and kissed her gently on the lips before he followed her in.


End file.
